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Wednesday, September 1, 2010

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Guernica portrays the human, (and animal), suffering on the ground, as a result of the seemingly disembodied dropping of bombs, wherein the bombers go home to read about the war in the paper, or see the recap on the nightly news. Garry Trudeau had an apt Doonesbury comic about this during the Vietnam war, where two bomber pilots drop their load, and then begin discussing last night's Knick's game.
Anyone who has seen war up close and personal, including the woeful inability of the 'war managers' to control what happens on the ground, would have second thoughts before instigating one. Having said that, it becomes less clear what the appropriate response is to either a less powerful nations 'harassing' assaults on a more powerful nation, or a more powerful nation's use of military power to further their own agenda. In the case of the underdog, it is easy to subscribe to Chairman Mao's axiom, that political power begins at the barrel of a gun. Where that axiom loses its teeth is when the 'power' is used not to initiate political dialogue with the more powerful opponent, but as a means of furthering a fixed ideology bent on the destruction of the opponent. If all nations and people just kept your words in mind in the first place, Thera, these ruminations on the appropriate use of military force would become obsolete.

Hi TheraP. I think the world and the majority of Americans are with you on this.
Zbig appeared a couple of times on his daughter's show and ripped right into Joe.
We will see what kind of pressure will be put on Israel in 18 days or so.

I remember around 40 years ago (I was 4) my parents had gone to the MOMA and bought a large print of Guernica (it was on display there at the time), It used to hang in my Dad's study and I remember staring at it for hours. When I was about 6 or 7 I remember my Mom explained to me why Picasso painted it and why it was in New York and not Spain. It was a formative moment.
About 4 months ago I was looking through the attic at my Dad's house (Mom died last June) and found the print rolled up in a tube. I took it to a restorer and had it re-matted and framed and it now hangs in my study.
The similarities between Spain in 1937 and Gaza now are startling.

I too saw it first in New York. It's a huge painting! Like a mural. Very powerful. (It speaks of Spain's suffering. And Hitler's cold-blooded cruelty.)
I woke up this morning with the image of that woman screaming. Just the image. I'd wanted to write a post. But I didn't have words. It's amazing how your unconscious helps you out.

It speaks to the power of art that an abstract painting can bring the concrete reality of suffering and tragedy to the (admittedly finite) mind of a 7 year old. I can still remember the sense of confusion/awe/revulsion/inspiration/curiosity/anger I felt when Mom told me it was about a real event not some kind of fantastical dream.
As for it's dimensions, I never knew it's actual size until years later but even the print is huge. 44 by 82 inches.
Cost me a small fortune to get it framed...

But obviously it means so much to you. A formative event. That clearly still speaks today. I honestly think children make choices, at very early ages, that so powerfully influence later choices and attitudes. That's how much it means to you.
I wrote something during the war on Lebanon, that I never "published" - about how our brains process info. The "image" and emotionality of the right hemisphere (as we see that in art), the mid-brain "fight or flight" reaction, the (illusion of) verbal logic in the left hemisphere, and the possibility of restraint and wisdom in the frontal lobes. I may work on that again, update it, and offer it later. (in a separate blog)
Peace be with you.

I too saw the painting in New York 30 or so years ago. I had never been particularly impressed by Picasso. I thought his stuff was okay but no more outstanding than any number of his contemporaries. I had seen pictures of this painting many, many times in books and slides. I wondered why this painting in partcicular was such a big deal and what the fuss was all about. then, I had the chance to go to MOMA with a friend I was visiting New York with. I remember very distinctly turning a sharp corner (it was almost like a partition that extended out to make sure you had to make a hairpin turn into the next room) and as I stepped into that new room... Wow! Bang! Whoosh! There it was, in all it's drama and power and I instantly understood why this painting was considered such an important work. I can't imagine any person who sees it not being deeply moved.
I have told this story many times to others who have not seen it in person. It is simply impossible really to convey the power and urgency and horror Picasso conveys in that piece and how it is uses a particular instance of barbarism to condemn all such violence. Nor can any words adequately express in terms as eloquent why the organized, mechanized mass murder of humans modern weapons and war make possible are so obscene and unacceptable regardless of the circumstances. Because of it's power, I have often thought the painting should go on a world tour so more people could see it and understand.

One of the things that has me completely confounded about war in the name of religion is this...
We have an all powerful, loving God. Why would we possibly believe He wants us to kill in His name?
If He wanted those people (whoever they are, on whatever side they are on) dead, they would be dead. He doesn't need us to do it for Him.
To quote loki (only I'm not being snarky!) Why can't we just all get along?
You'd think by now we'd be a little more advanced...man's inhumanity to man. No wonder we're so cruel to animals, we can't even be civilized towards each other.

We have an all powerful, loving God. Why would we possibly believe He wants us to kill in His name?

No. No, actually we don't have such a thing as this "god" you talk about. This is old, but you set it up beautifully: If God is all powerful couldn't he stop this war? If god is all loving wouldn't he stop this war? God is either not all powerful or he is not all loving.

Plus....If we have such highly evolved brains, why don't' we use them?

Well, we do use them. To the best of our abilities, anyway. Unfortunately, we only left Africa about 160,000 years ago. That's less than a blink of a blink of an eye in geological terms. We've come a long way, but we've got a lot longer to go. Let's hope our evolution continues apace. We cannot afford too many more of these atavistic setbacks.

I just noticed that you commented on his thread already...I see you got one of the cats that knows his place in the world. That's one of the things I like about cats, they don't take a lot of crap...we need them more than they need us...mostly.

It wasn't until I had a chance to go to Spain and see Guernica up close that I really got a sense of how huge it is. We are so used to seeing it postage-stamp size in books, that one doesn't get the real sense of a 12 feet high by 25 feet long painting. And it wasn't until I was standing in front of it, with the base at about eye level, that I noticed the little flower growing up behind the hand that holds the broken sword. All of that pain, suffering and violence, and Picasso still made sure to include one small symbol of hope for the future.

To pen people up. So they cannot flee. And bomb them? No justification.

Amen!
...Nevertheless, there are commenters on this sight who'll find it - or, at least, delusional apologia, framing the issue in storybook morality rather than blood-drenched "statecraft".
Good post, great words, TheraP.

Thank you, SFC! I'm actually working on another blog - which addresses storybook morality rather than blood-drenched "statecraft". But I'm sure that too would provoke an onslaught of doubters.
Nevertheless, we have to try and move humanity forward - however slowly...
Peace be with you.

I don't want this to sound oh so superior because I'm so close to being just out of the swamp I need to live in a moist environment but, this killing human thing on all levels seems really primative to me any more. Does anyone else think that? What is it that requires humans to kill each other? By any measurement - biblical or scientific - haven't we been around long enough to have moved beyond killing each other? And the worst are the ones sending out young people to go forth and kill.

I agree. I am working on a post that partly explain that. I think it has to do with the ubiquity of cell phones and digital cameras and our 24 hour news cycle - together with the way our brains our wired. The violence is just "killing" us!
Thanks for the honesty of your comment.

Seeing Condi Rice and the other Bush war criminals tacitly urging the violence onward is driving me to madness. And these days I am feeling the same way about the Israeli government that I used to feel about the pre-Mandela South African government.

Yes, I think this 8 years has led to such sensitivity on the part of most of us. It's hard to see any of this any more without be sickened. I've been so upset it took me days to write anything.
Yup, Israel lost me in 2006. And this is even worse, if you can talk about "worse" - simply because it's such a small, densely populated area, with nowhere to flee or seek safety.
World-wide anguish, and as you say, a sense of being driven to "madness" is the result.

You know TheraP, the more I think about this the more this reminds me of some scenerio where some felons are shooting from an undisclosed area of an enclosed mall. Do we tell the police to just bomb the entire complex.
I am so sick of war.

There is no excuse for Gaza. None. It is sad beyond belief. So very very hard to see the bleeding civilians, the children dying in their parents arms. Shame on those doing this and those allowing it. The words don't come. Sad sad sad.
This post captures it. Thank you.

I live a quarter of an hour away from "Guernica's" present location... the biggest difference between the bombing of the Basque city Guernica in 1937 and of Gaza today, was that the Germans did it themselves, flying their own planes and didn't leave it to surrogates, while simultaneously pretending to be an "honest broker" concerned about the "peace process".

I'm just asking, but I'm assuming the reference to Guernica suggests that the bombing has been indiscriminate and without regard to civilian casualties. That would be a lie, perhaps one perpetuated in good faith, perhaps from of ignorance, or perhaps for unlofty, base political reasons which would belie the generic goodness of the message of peace through art. In fact, and for the record, and without condoning what is being done, it cannot seriously be disputed that were the bombing of densely populated Gaza City, indeed indiscriminate, the truth of the matter, the Lord's honest, truth, is that the death toll of civilians in Gaza City would be in the tens of thousands if not more. No, I don't justify the death of a single child, but neither do think it is irrelevant that this is not a carpet bombing of the type folks, for political or other reasons, would make it out to be. If folks could draw their attention away from slogans, is there anyone who can provide any evidence whatsoever that the Israelis have been engaged in precision and not carpet bombing of the type that David Seaton's friends in Spain were the victims of in 1937? If it doesn't matter, then it doesn't matter. and say it and I will respect that. But it is, I submit, even with art, disingenuous to say: never justifiable is the same thing as saying that the Israelis are carpet bombing civilians.
Now I understand the poster's contention that "it is never justifiable". Query: does that mean that the rocket attacks on Israeli civilians is not justifiable either? Or is "never" not applicable when it comes to Israelis? My question is serious and asked in good faith.
"Never" is an interesting choice. We Jews have used it too and have been criticized roundly for misusing it.

Correction: I was asking for evidence that the bombing is indicscriminate, carpet like, as opposed to precision. Again, not justifying, but if it doesn't matter, why lie and presume its indiscriminate. Wouldn't the collateral effects of precision bombing be equally heinous? Politics, art, and the beat goes on.

I certainly do not condone violence - on either side. Indeed, I think violence just breeds further violence.
Your reaction to Gaza may be different than mine. And I certainly respect whatever your reaction is. I see no need to defend my reaction. And honestly I think that to pen people up and then bomb them is indefensible. These people cannot flee, as many Jews have been able to flee. You may have seen my other post, where I look at how war is very "old brain" and looks for a zero-sum solution, whereas in the end only a win-win solution will ever work.
I hope for world peace. And I extend peace to you.

I'm impressed by the reference, Thera. Incidentally, I agree that war is never justified. It is always, without question or exception, morally wrong to engage in the sort of murderous violence inherent in warmaking.
Of course, sometimes people want things more urgently than they want virtue.